Kratos
"His desire for conquest knew no bounds, but that which he desired would ultimately consume him." - Gaia Kratos is the main Protagonist of the God of War series Kratos' Early Life Kratos was a captain of a rapidly growing Spartan army, first with only fifty men that grew into the thousands. Becoming a general, he won many victories and brought many treasures back to his family. He gave his wife a jeweled necklace, and his daughter Calliope a carved wooden flute. But soon, Kratos became brutal and war-hungry, winning battles through unorthodox but effective tactics. Only his family was brave enough to question his motives. He claims he wants the world to know of the glory of Sparta, but his wife protested he was just doing it for himself. However, he and his Spartan army were no match for the merciless barbarian tribes of the east. Being outnumbered and overpowered, his army was losing the battle. Kratos, about to be killed by the barbarians' leader, pledged himself to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for victory. The god accepted and wiped out the barbarians, giving Kratos the Blades of Chaos as a sign of his servitude. Kratos served Ares loyally, raiding villages and spreading chaos in his name. However, during a raid on a village of Athena's followers, Ares tricked him into killing his wife and child in blind rage, an act he later describe as being done in order to make Kratos the perfect warrior. Stricken with horror and grief, Kratos left the bodies to be burned with the temple as he cursed Ares's name. The village oracle declared he is to be cursed to wear their ashes for all time on his skin to serve as punishment for his actions. From that day forward, he became known as "The Ghost of Sparta". The reason for this was because of his skin, which was now "pale as the moon" from the ashes that coated him. Afterward, the distraught Kratos began to be haunted by terrible nightmares of the deaths of his family. Over time, the memories and nightmares of killing his family began to drive him into total insanity. Abandoning Sparta, Kratos traveled throughout Greece, only finding some solace in sailing the Aegean Sea. To find peace, he pledged his life and services to the other gods of Olympus in the hope that they would one day relieve him of his burden. To other mortals, he was now marked by his white skin. The knowledge of his past actions have been shown to repulse normal people to the point where they do not allow him to save their lives. They would even kill themselves in the process. He was forever known as the "Ghost of Sparta" to all who saw him. He is seen as the personification of cruelty and selfishness. Kratos would serve the gods for ten years following the death of his family. However, he always held on to the desire for revenge against Ares. Kratos' Servitude See also: God of War: Chains of Olympus During Kratos' ten years of servitude, the greatest task was given to him after he joined the army of Attica in their struggle against the invading Persian Army and the great beast the bring forth, the Basilisk. After a lengthy battle, Kratos killed both the King of Persia and the Basilisk, and, upon speaking to the Gods, he witnessed Sun disappearing from the sky, leaving the world in the eternal darkness. The only presence of light is seen somewhere in the distance, and Kratos journeys there, only to discover the Temple of Helios and the city of Marathon. Kratos realizes that Helios, the God of Sun, has been captured by unknown force, allowing Morpheus, the God of Dreams, to cast Gods into a deep slumber, starting the invasion and covering Greece into his Black Fog. Fighting through Morpheus beasts, Kratos entered the temple, and soon is asked by Eos, the sister of Helios, to awaken her brother's Fire Steeds, which will take Kratos to where Helios is now. After awakening the Horse Gods, Kratos is taken to the Underworld, where he sees the glowing light of Helios, in a distance, right before the Pillar of the World. Kratos had to fight his way through Hades' domain, acquiring the mighty weapon, the Gauntlet of Zeus, visiting Tartarus, and killing Charon the ferryman of the dead in the process. Kratos discovers that it is Titan Atlas who has escaped Tartarus and captured Helios. Through all his journey, Kratos is plagued by the visions of his daughter, Calliope, and the song she plays with a flute he himself once presented her with. When Kratos reaches Pillar of the World and the Temple of Persephone that lies nearby, he has already forgotten about his task, thinking only of reuniting with his daughter. He encounters Persephone, who reveals that he could be with his daughter again, only if he gives away all of his power to the Forsaken Tree. Kratos does so, and enters the Elysium fields, where he met his daughter and is seen happy perhaps the only once in his whole life. However, Persephone appears, revealing that it was she who rescued Atlas and asked him to capture Helios. With him, she is plotting to destroy the Pillar of the World, thus killing all Gods and majority of mortals. She taunts Kratos that he may live with his daughter for a short period, but when her plan is complete, Calliope will die too. Kratos forces himself to become the Ghost of Sparta again, by killing the innocent souls of Elysium and returning his powers. Upon running after Persephone, he realizes that he will never have the chance to be with his daughter again, and, hearing her crying behind him, his hate for the Gods whom he serves only becomes stronger. Kratos succeeds in killing Persephone and chaining Atlas to the ground above the Pillar of the World, thus completing his task. Before he leaves underworld, Atlas asks Kratos if he truly believes that the Gods will keep their promise. Kratos escapes Underworld with the use of Fire Steeds, but is too exhausted and falls from the Chariot to the ground below. He is saved by Athena and Helios, who strip him of the powers/weapons he acquired during the journey. Kratos' Final Task See also: God of War Ten years later, after killing the sea monster known as the Hydra, Kratos got a chance to seek his revenge on the God of War and rid himself of the terrible nightmares that haunted him. He is ordered by Athena to seek out Pandora's Box in order to help him destroy Ares. Kratos makes his way through war-ravaged Athens, killing countless minions of Ares and even the infamous Medusa, queen of the Gorgons. Following an Athenian Oracle's instructions, Kratos traversed the Desert of Lost Souls and found Pandora's Temple atop the back of the Titan Cronos. He made his way through the temple and retrieved Pandora's Box. After obtaining Pandora's Box, Ares hurls a huge broken Greek pillar towards The Temple of Pandora. The pillar impales and kills Kratos, sending him to Hades as Harpies take the Box. During the fall to the River Styx, Kratos is able to grab onto a ledge and then escapes the clutches of Hades. He is helped by the Gravedigger he met earlier. He then reacquires Pandora's Box from Ares and uses it to grow as large as the god. After a hard fight, Ares sucks Kratos into a void where four monstrous incarnations of himself were attempting to kill his family. He tries to save them but Ares strips him of the Blades of Chaos to murder his family again. When he snaps back into the real world, Ares is prepared to deliver the final blow, Kratos notices the Blade of the Gods, which connects Athens to a temple and uses it to destroy the God of War. Though his past had been forgiven, the gods could not relieve Kratos of his nightmares. His last hope taken from him, Kratos attempted to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Athena had a different plan for the Spartan. She saved his life and offered him the empty throne on Olympus. He entered the portal to Olympus and settled himself on Ares' throne, surrounded by statues of the great enemies he had bested. For all time, whenever and wherever battles were to be fought, for good or evil, they would be under the watchful eye of Kratos, the God of War. Kratos, The New God of War See also:God of War: Betrayal See also: God of War II As the new God of War, Kratos, still haunted by his nightmares continued his conquest, favoring his homeland of Sparta over all other nations. He ordered his Spartan legions to attack other Greek cities. Kratos seems to only take solace in war and bloodshed, often descending to Earth and fighting alongside his Spartan warriors. The endless battles were the only things that distracted him from his nightmares. He distanced himself from other Gods, still holding his grudge against them for the time he spent being their servant and the lies they spoke to him. However, soon he realized that the Gods might become unpleasant with the new God of War and will try to reject him. When Kratos, aiding the Spartans, in his mortal form, besieged one of the Greek cities, he is attacked by Argos, the pet of Hera. Before he could defeat the beast, it is killed by unknown Assassin, apparently trying to destroy his reputation on Olympus. Kratos pursued the Assassin, but his progress is halted by the minions of Hades himself. The God of War did not surrender and continued his pursuit nevertheless, only to be stopped by Ceryx, the messenger of the Gods, who allowed the Assassin to escape. Ceryx demanded Kratos to stop his pursuit in the name of Zeus, providing no answer and thus infuriating the God of War. Kratos killed the messenger and at this very moment he realized that Zeus will eventually took actions against him. Later, Kratos decided to led his Spartans on Rhodes. Athena warned him to not upset the Gods again. However, he didn't listen to her. He then plunges down to Earth, wrecking havoc on the city. At this moment, an eagle (who he thinks is Athena), robs him of most of his godly power. This caused him to shrink to the size of a mortal man. Most of Kratos' godly power were placed into the Colossus of Rhodes, which was then brought to life. Kratos fights a long and hard battle with the giant until Zeus offers help in the form of the Blade of Olympus, which was used to end the Titan War. Infusing all of his powers and immortality into the blade, Kratos takes down his foe. As he shouts to the heavens, asking if he needed anything more to prove, the Colossus' falling hand crushes him. He began limping his way to the blade to save himself, only for the eagle to reveal itself to be Zeus, who explains he's trying to save Olympus from the same fate as Ares. The King of the Gods takes the blade and drives it into his chest, telling him he will never be the ruler of Olympus and all will suffer for his sacrilege. With a swing, he destroys all warriors in the city. With his last breath Kratos swears Zeus will pay. Kratos' Journey to Change His Fate Kratos is then dragged down by the arms of the Underworld, but the Titan Gaia, who has been watching him his whole life, saves him, sealing his wound and giving him back the strength to escape death once again. He climbs out from the Underworld back into Rhodes, where he instructs a surviving soldier to return to Sparta for another battle. He takes Pegasus to fly back to Olympus so he could exact his revenge but the flaming winged horse would not listen to him. Gaia told him to seek out the Sisters of Fate so that he may travel back in time to reclaim the Blade of Olympus to take his revenge on Zeus. Kratos goes to Typhon's lair, where he meets Prometheus, who pleads him to release him from his torment in the fire of Olympus. Kratos takes a bow from Typhon and uses it against Prometheus' last chain, burning his flesh and his ashes granted him a Titan power. Kratos safely arrived on the Island of Creation, where he meets Theseus, who guards the Sisters. They fight to determine who is the best warrior; Perseus to save his beloved Andromeda; the Barbarian King who escaped Hades' torment to change his fate; and Icarus, who has gone crazy. After defeating them all, gaining valuable items from them, he falls into the Underworld once again, where he meets Atlas. The Titan is intent on crushing the former god for his imprisonment but Kratos promises to change his fate in exchange for his help. When he gets back to the surface, he accidentally wounds the Spartan soldier from earlier, who tells him that Zeus destroyed Sparta for serving Kratos. As he shouts out his anger, he is attacked by the Kraken. As he is held in the beast's grasp, Kratos sees his wife, which is actually Gaia, who encourages him to go on or face eternal torment in Hades, as Zeus will never forgive him. Kratos soon meets with Lahkesis, who tells him that the Fates decide the destinies of all and that she allowed him to come this far. However, she proclaims that it is not his destiny to kill Zeus. Kratos declares that she no longer controls his destiny before battling her, but she then summons Atropos, who takes him back in time to his battle with Ares, determined to destroy the Blade of the Gods, so he'd die in the present. He stops her and flings them back to the present. He fights both of the Fates and traps them in a mirror and then shatters it. He then goes to Clotho, who warns him not to go forward with his manipulation of fate. He kills her and takes control of the Loom Chamber, going back in time. Arriving in the past, he takes the Blade of Olympus back from Zeus, pulling it out of his other self. They fight on the Summit of Sacrifice. When Zeus unleashes a powerful lightning storm, Kratos yields defeat and surrenders. He asks to be put out of his misery. Zeus promises him a quick death, stating, "I will release you from your life my son, but your torment is just beginning." Kratos dodges the blow and pins Zeus to a rock with his blades. He then takes up the Blade of Olympus and drives it into Zeus' abdomen. He is stopped by Athena, who is willing to defend Olympus. As Zeus tries to flee, Kratos makes one more attempt on him, only for Athena to take the blow. Her dying words reveal that Zeus is his father and was hoping to break the cycle of son-killing-father, thus actually not caring for the well-being of Greece, but for his own position and life. Athena begs Kratos to stop his revenge, claiming that Zeus has to live so Olympus will prevail. Kratos snarls he has no father and declares that the time of the Gods is at an end. He goes back in the chamber of Loom, using it to get back in time again, to the Great War of the gods and the Titans. Kratos and The Second Great War See also: God of War III Kratos traveled back in time to the Great Titan War and took the Titans back to the present timeline. As Zeus gathered the Gods of Olympus, warning them of the new threat, Kratos led the Titans in an assault on Mount Olympus. While Gods watched, in horror, as the Titans climbed up to take their revenge, Kratos, staying on the back of Gaia, yelled "Zeus, your son has returned! I bring the destruction of Olympus!". And so, the New Great War begins..... Weapons and powers Kratos possesses vast superhuman strength and stamina (the exact limits of which are yet to be determined). He has proven capable of overpowering the Hydra, thrown the Colossus of Rhodes after it attempted to crush him beneath its foot, torn the Blade of Olympus from Zeus' hands, and prevented Atlas from crushing him between his fingers. In God of War III, Kratos rips of Helios' head, using only his vast strength. He also possesses great agility, durability, resilience, and reflexes. he can also Sense danger and possesess great skills with all sorts of weapons and magic. These are all due to his status as a demigod; an effect of being the son of Zeus. Thanks to this, Kratos is able to challenge monsters and even the gods themselves. Kratos also possess great resistance to most forms of attack that would easily kill most humans or magical beings, making him virtually Immortal. Kratos' main weapons were once the Blades of Chaos, a gift from Ares. They are essentially two Falchion-like blades on long chains, permanently fused and seared to the wielder's forearms. Once Kratos killed Ares, Athena replaced them with a nearly identical pair of blades called the Blades of Athena. Kratos displays great skill with all of his weapons. It's implied that he learned many of his fighting skills from Ares. Kratos, before and after becoming a god, gained many powers from the Gods. When he relinquished his old powers to the Blade of Olympus, he was given new powers fby the Titans. Some of these powers resemble the powers/abilities of the Gods. The Blade of Olympus is one of Kratos' greatest weapons, as he has infused all of his godly Powers into it. As a god, Kratos is extremely powerful and Immortal as most likely possesess all the powersof Ares, his older half brother and the original God of War (God). Zeus is the only being who is more powerful and. It also seems that Kratos, having killed the Sisters of Fate, has absorbed their powers of Time control and can time travel. Kratos may also regain his godly powers from the Blade of Olympus. In God of War 2 after being crushed by the falling statue's hand he went to the blade in order to take back his powers. But Zeus prevented him from gaining his godly power by keeping the blade. Also if Kratos were to take his power from the Blade of Olympus he would be the strongest being alive, thus being a titan/god. Personality Kratos is a very destructive, amoral, self-centered and brutal character. He is driven constantly by his rage and pride. In God of War, he blames the original God of War, Ares, for tricking him into killing his beloved wife and child while ensnared by blind fury. Likewise, in God of War II, he swears revenge on Zeus for deceiving, betraying, and killing him. Kratos occasionally does display feelings of guilt or sorrow, mostly for his family. However, these emotions are often converted to extreme rage. An example is when Kratos fatally stabbed Athena to death. Kratos also showed respect for the nameless Spartan Captain that he encountered several times in course of the second game. Unable to cope with the memory of his own misdeeds, Kratos has considered suicide on two separate occasions. He is surprised when Athena tells Kratos that he is the son of Zeus. In denial, he replies that he has no father. He does not truly accept this fact until the siege of Mount Olympus. Kratos told Zeus that his son brought the destruction of Olympus. The one and only time Kratos is shown to be happy is when he sees his daughter, Calliope, again in "Chains of Olympus". Family Kratos is a child of a woman from a small farming village. The speculation and rumours of his sire grew so wild that his mother and he were driven from their home. She swore a new life in Sparta, and had a son (it is not known whether or not she was married). Kratos' half-brother was taken from him when he was a child as he was deemed "unfit" to serve in the Spartan army. Kratos' brother was then exiled into the mountains, where he died. Kratos later married and had a daughter. His wife and daughter, Calliope, seems to be about the only people Kratos ever truly loved. However, he killed both of them in his blind rage. fed by the power of Ares. This was during the raid of Athena's temple in a small farming village. These murders are the source of his anger. After he defeated Ares, and became the new God of War, he visited his frail mother living in Sparta. Upon revealing the name of his father, she turned into a wretched beast. She was bent on destroying her own child. Putting aside his remaining feelings for her, Kratos was forced to slay her. As she died, she revealed the name of his father: Zeus. His great-grandmother is Gaia, his grandfather is Cronos, and his grandmother is Rhea. His uncles are Hades and Poseidon. His aunts are Demeter, Hestia, and Hera. He is the half brother of Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Hercules, Helen, Minos, Hebe, Eris and Aphrodite. He is also cousins with Theseus who is the son of Poseidon. Trivia *Kratos is voiced by TC Carson in all three games *"Kratos" actually means "power" or "strength" in Greek. *Though Kratos isn't a character in actual Greek mythology, there is a being in myth named "Cratos". He is the son of Pallas and Styx and the personification of strength and power. *Kratos makes a guest appearance in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. He fights with the Blades of Chaos, Blade of Olympus, Icarus Wings, and Poseidon's Rage. *Kratos's family are shown to be the only people he has ever truly loved. The only time he has been seen smiling was when he found Calliope in the Underworld. Kratos was torn apart when he had to leave her. Later, when he encounters an illusion of his late wife, he actually begs her for forgiveness. He has never asked forgiveness before, even when he killed his own mother in self-defense (not canon). He even refers to his wife as "my love". *Other than Hercules, Kratos is the most powerful God/Demigod/Mortal as he killed the Sisters of Fate, Ares, Persephone, trapped Atlas, survived the Traps of Pandora, literally gone to hell and back 3 times, and even defeated Zeus in combat. Another similarity to Hercules is that they are both sons of Zeus, decieved by their rivals to kill their loved ones, and serve the Gods in hopes of forgiveness. *In each God of War game Kratos' face is slightly different, e.g. his age appears somewhat different (from 25 - 60, on some concepts). Gallery Image:932295_20060508_screen009.jpg|Kratos wearing the God of War armor Image:Kratos_2.jpg|Kratos leaping Image:BladesofChaos.jpg|Kratos attacking with the Blades of Chaos Image:Kratos_3.jpg|Kratos with Medusa's head Image:Kratos_4.jpg|Kratos destroying his foes Image:God-of-War-2-1220.jpg|Kratos about to kill a Cyclops Image:Kratos5.jpg|Kratos fighting a Griffin Rider Image:Kratos_6.jpg|Kratos with the Blades of Chaos Image:Kratos_7.jpg|Kratos leaping from the Pegasus Image:Kratos_8.jpg|Kratos leaping from the Pegasus Image:Kratos_9.jpg|Kratos climbing Atlas Image:Kratos_10.jpg|Kratos fighting Euryale Image:Medusa1.jpg|Kratos fighting a Gorgon External Links *Kratos at the Soulcalibur Wiki Category:Characters Category:God of War 1 Characters Category:God of War 2 Characters Category:God of War:Chains of Olympus Characters Category:Immortals Category:Relatives of Zeus Category:Demigods Category:Heroes trying to change their fate Category:God of War Series Category:God of War:Betrayal Characters Category:Gods